Jessica Springsteen and RMF Swinny Du Parc. ph: Anne Gittins Photography.
On Thursday, November 30, 2017, competition continued at the ESP Holiday & Horses CSI4* week, hosted at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) in Wellington, Florida. Top honors in the $35,000 Ultima Fitness 1.50m Qualifier were awarded to Jessica Springsteen (USA) and RMF Swinny Du Parc.
Springsteen and the 2006 Selle Francais mare (Berlin x Laudanum), owned by Rushy Marsh Farm, were joined by 64 horse and rider combinations in the opening round. Nine returned to the jump-off, with Springsteen stopping the timers in 39.173s to secure the win.
Of the course designed by Guilherme Jorge (BRA), Springsteen said, “It was a good course today. I thought the ending was a little tricky with the triple-bar and triple combination. I think that that really caught a lot of people. She [RMF Swinny Du Parc] really kept it together and she jumped it amazingly. It was really good effort on her part!”
Springsteen recently picked up the ride on the mare, competing her for the first time this past fall at the Tryon International Equestrian Center in Tyron, North Carolina. The duo earned several top 12 finishes at TIEC, before moving on to compete in Kentucky.
“I showed her in Tryon and that was my first time showing her. We just clicked right away. She’s my kind of ride,” explained Springsteen. “She’s a big girl but it doesn’t feel like it when you’re riding her. She’s also very competitive. I took her to Kentucky and showed her there, and then she had a little time off after arriving here in Florida. This was her first time back out today and I couldn’t have asked for her to be any better.”
Springsteen plans to compete the mare in either Saturday night’s $216,000 Holiday & Horses Grand Prix CSI4*, presented by Palm Beach County Sports Commission, or in Sunday’s $25,000 Grand Prix, presented by Omega Alpha.
“Moving forward after that, I think that we are going to start a little slow this winter because it is such a long season. We are definitely looking forward to competing in the future SNL Grand Prix classes,” she said. “It’s nice to have these pre-Winter Equestrian Festival shows to get the horses seasoned and comfortable with their surroundings once again.”
“I’m just so thankful to have been given the ride on this mare. She’s so much fun and I’m very excited for the future with her.”
Second place honors in the class were awarded to Margie Engle (USA) and Royce, a 2004 Oldenburg stallion (Cafe Au Lait x Grandilot) owned by Gladewinds Partners LLC. The two completed the jump-off in 40.721s. With a time of 40.755s, 3rd place was captured by Ali Wolff (USA) and Blacklick Bend Farm’s Casall, a 2005 Holsteiner gelding (Casall x Capitol I).
Competition will resume on Friday, December 1, at PBIEC featuring the $35,000 1.45m Classic CSI4* presented by Dever Golf Cars, Inc.
The Holiday & Horses CSI4* will continue through Sunday, December 3. The $216,000 Holiday & Horses Grand Prix CSI 4* presented by Palm Beach County Sports Commission will take place on Saturday, December 2, at 6:30 p.m. and feature the first round of charity drawings for the 2018 Great Charity Challenge presented by Fidelity® Investments throughout the evening.
Click here to purchase hospitality tickets for the $216,000 Holiday & Horses Grand Prix CSI4*,presented by Palm Beach County Sports Commission. For more information please visit www.pbiec.com.
The full results can be viewed here.